This invention relates to a water leakage detection and flood prevention device. More particularly, the invention relates to a device which employs a main electric unit plugged into an ordinary household outlet, water sensor strips extending from the main electric unit, and solenoid-actuated cut-off valves attached between water supply lines and water hoses, designed for shutting off the water supply and the electric power to a water-utilizing appliance in the event the water sensor strips detect a leak or a flood.
Nowadays, a typical residential house or building is equipped with a wide variety of water-utilizing appliances, including a washing machine, a dishwasher, a water heater, and many others. Occasionally, a leak may develop in the appliance itself or somewhere along the water connections, which if not stopped in time, may lead to a serious flooding of the house, possibly damaging items that are sensitive to water, including flooring, appliances, equipment, furniture, and even the foundation. In the event of water leakage, the owner of the house or building may not only incur a considerable amount of property damages but also faces an expensive and troublesome cleaning operation. Thus, it is desirable to have a device that can detect the presence of water leakage as soon as it develops, and shut off water supply lines that are connected to the water-utilizing appliance to prevent further water leakage.
While various prior art references discloses devices that detect water leaks and automatically shuts off the water supply upon sensing water leakage, all incorporate relatively complicated configurations which are expensive to manufacture, difficult to incorporate into existing homes, and thus may not be suitable for average consumer use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,686 to Tom discloses a water detection device that detects liquid drips, flows and trickles, and activates a solenoid operated water shut-off valve in response to detection of water. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,662 to Moody discloses a ground fault interrupter circuit which comprises a first output for providing electrical current to a solenoid valve that controls the supply of cold water to a conventional hot water heater and an other output for providing electrical current to a leak detector. U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,472 to Gordon discloses another apparatus for sensing the presence of unwanted water and operating a remote solenoid activated valve to shut off the water supply in response to the detecting of water. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,408 and 5,428,347 to Barron disclose a water sensor unit that monitors water related appliances and shuts off the power to the unit and simultaneously shuts off the water supply to that particular unit when leaking water is detected.
Despite all these devices for detecting water leaks, there is still a further need to provide an improved water leakage detection and flood prevention device. Such a water leakage detection and flood prevention device should be simple enough for an ordinary individual to set up without requiring professional installation, and yet is capable of shutting off the water supply and electrical power to a water-utilizing appliance in case of a water hose breakage or an overflow. Moreover, such a water leakage detection and flood prevention device should be capable of automatically shutting electric power to a water-utilizing appliance simply by cutting off the supply of current to the outlets of the main electric unit, into which the power cord of the appliance is connected.
While these units mentioned above may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.